What Michigan actually decides
MDARD is unusually direct about this: there are no application forms to complete, no registration process, and no food licence or permit to obtain. That makes Michigan one of the easiest states to start in, and it puts all the weight on getting the product and the label right, because nobody is going to check either until there is a complaint.
The 2026 update did two useful things. It raised the cap to $50,000 a year, or $75,000 where the products sell at $250 or more per unit, which is aimed squarely at wedding and celebration cakes. And it allowed internet, mail order and third-party delivery sales within Michigan, provided the buyer has a chance to interact with you directly first. That condition is doing real work: a listing that never lets the customer reach you is not what this permits. MDARD calls it the 2026 update but publishes no effective date, so the date here comes from secondary sources.
The cap is per cottage food operator, not per household, which matters if two people in the same house both sell. The product list is a genuine list and celebration cakes are explicitly on it, including wedding cakes and cupcakes. Shelf-stable pies including cooked fruit pies are in. Cheesecake, cream, custard, pumpkin and lemon meringue are out, and so is cream cheese frosting, which catches a lot of decorators.
One optional number exists. The MSU Product Center runs a voluntary registration purely so you have something to print in place of your home address. It is not a licence and it does not register you with anyone who regulates you.
One caveat on the sourcing. The agency's own page did not spell out the permit or registration, the training requirement or the date a recent change took effect, so those came from the statute and secondary sources rather than from Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development directly. Everything else on this page was read off an official source on September 9, 2026. If one of those points decides your case, ask them.
The short version
What you can sell in Michigan
Straight from the official record. Read these as categories rather than a menu, because one recipe can cross the line on its own: a filling that needs refrigeration, a pH that needs testing, or a process that needs an authority to sign it off.
- Cakes, including celebration cakes such as birthday, anniversary, wedding and cupcakes
- Breads, quick breads and muffins
- Cookies and baked goods
- Shelf-stable pies, including cooked fruit pies
- Confections and candies made without alcohol
- Chocolate-covered pretzels, marshmallows, graham crackers and strawberries
- Fruit jams and jellies as defined in 21 CFR part 150, in glass jars
- Dry herbs and dry herb mixtures, dry baking, dip and soup mixes
- Granola, and dried pasta made with or without eggs
- Vinegar and flavored vinegars
- Popcorn, and roasted coffee beans or ground roasted coffee
- Icings and frostings made with all shelf-stable ingredients
What is outside the rule
If your product is on this list, the answer is not "ask nicely". It is a different licence, a different kitchen, or both.
- Canned, acidified, acid, low acid or pickled foods
- Pies or cakes that require refrigeration, such as cheesecake, cream, custard, pumpkin and lemon meringue
- Cream cheese frostings or icings
- Meat, fish, and dehydrated meats such as jerky
- Milk and dairy products like cheese or yogurt
- Sauces, salsas, salad dressings, hot sauce, ketchup and mustard
- Beverages, including juices, kombucha, apple cider and lemonade
- Fermented foods, sourdough starter, and fruit or vegetable butters
Where you are allowed to sell it
The researched record lists direct sales, farmers markets, online orders, delivery, in-state shipping.
One channel being open does not open the rest. Shipping, delivery and wholesale each turn on the product and where it is going, so check the route you actually plan to use.
Paperwork, training and inspections
The researched record does not list a general permit for this tier. MDARD says plainly that there are no application forms to complete, no registration process, and no food licence or permit to obtain from MDARD. The only number available is the voluntary MSU Product Center registration, which you may print in place of your home address.
No training is recorded as universally required. No training is stated as mandatory on any MDARD cottage food page, and ServSafe is not mentioned.
Only on a complaint is what the record says about inspections. Confirm what that means for your product and your local authority, because the two can differ.
Kitchen rules people miss
None of these fit on a label, which is exactly why they get skipped. Read them before the first batch, not after.
- Products must be made in the kitchen of your primary residence, not a rented, second or motor home kitchen.
- Ingredients and finished products must be stored inside the residence, never in a garage, shed, barn or outbuilding.
- Private well water should be tested at least once a year for coliform bacteria and partial chemistry.
- Equipment does not have to be NSF approved.
What changed, and when
A dated change means an older checklist can be confidently wrong. Read the instrument itself at the official source before you trust anything written before these dates.
- 2026-03-24: Sales cap raised to $50,000, or $75,000 for units priced at $250 or more, and internet, mail order and third-party delivery sales allowed within Michigan when the buyer has a chance to interact directly with the operator first. MDARD calls this the 2026 update but publishes no effective date, so the date here comes from secondary sources.
What belongs on a Michigan label
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
checked September 9, 2026
- 01Product name
- 02Ingredients by weight
- 03Allergens
- 04Net weight
- 05Name and street address
- 06Home kitchen statement, exact wording
- No permit number. Required text at least 11 point.
Start this weekend
In this order, so the label is the last thing you check and not the first thing you guess.
- Check your frostings before your recipes. Cream cheese icing is prohibited, and it is the most common reason a cake fails this rule.
- Work out which cap applies to you. $75,000 only applies where units sell at $250 or more.
- If you sell online, make sure buyers can actually reach you directly. That is the condition the 2026 update attaches.
- Register with the MSU Product Center if you want your home address off the label. It is voluntary and label-only.
- Confirm the current cap with MDARD before planning a year around it. No effective date is published for the update.
Nearby guides
Neighbouring states look similar until the one difference that matters. Worth a read if you sell across a border, or if someone in the next state over gave you advice.
Keep going
Frequently asked questions
Is this the whole Michigan rule?
No, and you should not treat it as one. This is the official source read carefully on September 9, 2026 and put in one place. Your city, your county, the market you sell at and your own product can each add a layer this page does not know about. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is the authority, not us.
Can I just use the label maker and skip this?
The label maker opens with the fields this jurisdiction requires, so it will get the sticker right. What it cannot do is tell you whether the recipe is allowed, whether your kitchen qualifies, or whether you can sell through the channel you had in mind. A correct label on a product you are not allowed to sell is still a problem.
Does the right label make me compliant?
No. The label is the last step and the most visible one, which is why it gets all the attention. The recipe, the kitchen, the training, the registration and the sales route all sit upstream of it, and any one of them can be the thing that is actually wrong.
Sources
Details were checked against public sources on September 9, 2026. Confirm current prices, policies, or provider instructions before relying on them.